The Spaniard essentially has his pick of the top managerial jobs because of the remarkable work he is doing at the BayArena
According to latest reports, Xabi Alonso favours taking over at Bayern Munich this summer over Liverpool. In a way, it would be understandable. It's always easier to follow a failure than a living legend – and make no mistake about it, that's exactly what Jurgen Klopp has become at Anfield.
It's not just about his qualities as a coach, either; it's about his character and charisma too. Many great managers have sat in the home dugout at Liverpool, but none has ever conducted the Kop like Klopp.
When the fans were getting frustrated after seeing their Premier League table-topping team surprisingly fall behind to relegation-battling Luton on Wednesday, Klopp turned to the Main Stand and demanded more support for his struggling side. What followed was "a thunderstorm", a wave of emotion that swept Luton away in the second half with what Rob Edwards called "full-throttle football".
"Their counter-pressing was incredible, it suffocated us, and their fans were amazing – it was difficult for the players to really concentrate," the Hatters boss admitted after the 4-1 loss. "It was like the Kop was just sucking it in and we couldn't really get out of our half. We saw Anfield and Liverpool at their best tonight. I thought they were brilliant."
'Team and the fans changed the game'
Klopp did, too, so much so, in fact, that he broke a promise by bringing up Barcelona – something he swore he'd never do given the historic nature of that epic Champions League comeback in 2019.
Why? "Because, before the game, it was kind of similar, with many players missing," he said, referring to the unavailability of 11 squad members. "So, this is their Barcelona: a difficult situation, plenty of reasons to give up at times – but they didn't. I saw only a super group fighting. If you don't limit yourself with bad thoughts, you can fly, and that's what the boys did."
Perhaps it was unsurprising, then, that Klopp didn't just roll out the fist-pumps for the Kop after the game – but all four corners of the ground.
"The stadium and the team," he told , "changed the game together." But it was he who sparked them into life, and it is he who unites the club. He pretty much has done since the day he arrived at Anfield in 2015 and promised to turn "doubters into believers".
Six major honours have followed, including a first English title since 1990. Klopp may even bow out with another one before he departs at the end of the season. If he does, in the era of state-sponsored Manchester City, it would only cement his status as one of the greatest managers of all time.
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As a result, succeeding Klopp is considered by some as the impossible job and one can understand why, given the trophies he's won and the rapport he has with both the players and the supporters. Just look at the way in which Manchester United have struggled since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure more than a decade ago.
In that sense, Alonso may feel that this is a case of the right role but at the wrong time. He admitted when he embarked upon his coaching career that he had "dreamt" of returning to Liverpool as the manager, having become such a fan-favourite during his time at Anfield as a player, but he's still a relatively young coach. At 42 years of age, he would be forgiven for feeling that there's no rush; that the Liverpool job will come up again for him.
After all, he's already done enough at Bayer Leverkusen to suggest that he has a long and successful career ahead of him. In just over 18 months, he has taken a team at risk of relegation to the cusp of a first-ever Bundesliga title – and all the while playing a thrilling brand of football.
Consequently, there is no more coveted – or highly-rated – young coach in the game today. Indeed, he's already effectively received a glowing endorsement from Klopp.
Getty/GOAL'Xabi is the standout'
"Xabi is doing an incredible job," the German told reporters. "If there would not be the rumours around, that's completely independent.
"If you would have asked me eight weeks ago about Xabi Alonso, I would have gone: ‘Oh my God.’ The dinosaurs if you want – [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Jose] Mourinho, [Pep] Guardiola, maybe me – we will not do it for the next 20 years. The next generation is already there and I would say Xabi is the standout in that department.
"Former world-class player, from a coaching family as well which helps a little, he was like a coach already when he was playing. The football he is playing, the teams he sets up, the transfers he did, it is absolutely exceptional.
"I played and worked a long time in the Bundesliga and it is super impressive. Not only the points tally, but the way they play. He has super signings for this team, exactly what they needed, and that's really a very special job."
Getty A Liverpool love affair
Of course, Ferguson's support couldn't even sustain David Moyes through a full season at Old Trafford, but it's impossible to envisage Liverpool supporters turning so quickly on Alonso, who was – and remains – adored at Anfield.
When Rafael Benitez foolishly tried to replace him with Gareth Barry in the summer of 2008, the fans made their feelings known during a pre-season friendly against Lazio that Alonso still considers one of the "most special days" of his career, so touched was he by the show of support.
The intelligence, elegance and determination with which Alonso played the game obviously helped endear him to the Kop, but his down-to-earth personality also played a pivotal part. From the moment he arrived at Liverpool, he embraced the culture of the club and indeed the city. He has even referred to his Liverpool-born son as a "Scouser". Hardly surprising then that the fans fell in love with him – or that the feeling was mutual.
"The mystique of coming down that tunnel at Anfield, touching the sign, watching the Kop singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ – having all of that made it easier to have such a close attachment and strong commitment with the club and the fans," he told the .
"I’ve never pretended to be someone I am not. I have always tried to be a normal one, and the personality of Liverpool people is very particular: they like you to be one of them. If you are in the bar, they offer to get you a pint. They want you to feel welcome. I felt that from the very beginning."
Alonso, then, would be given the warmest of welcomes if he were to return to Anfield, and afforded more time and patience to lead Liverpool through the post-Klopp era than arguably any other coach in the game today. The thing is, though, Alonso might not need much of either.